What your dental health says about your overall health and why it matters.

dentist-checkupSure, you do it all, and generally follow through on your commitment to yourself and your physical health. A regimen of exercise for both the body and the mind; diet and exercise parceled out in a fashion designed to best increase your longevity and quality of life are daily rituals, and honestly speaking, you feel better now than you have ever felt in your life.

Protect that incredible investment in yourself through regular preventative check-ups with both your physician, and your dentist. Yes, you read that correctly, your dentist. If you think that is a typo, I encourage you to read on!

Your teeth and gums are significant indicators for overall health.

Your teeth and gums are essential to good health, and due to the complex nature of the interactions between your teeth and your gums and multiple other processes in your digestive and organ systems, a problem that may show up in your teeth and gums could also point the way to problems in other areas and aspects of your health.

Scientific findings published by the American Academy of General Dentistry indicate that a problem with periodontal disease (gums) within a patient will result in a far higher percentage of heart disease and stroke for the patient. Periodontal disease in pregnant women results in a marked increase of pre-term or underweight babies.

Other research tells us that over 90% of all systemic diseases (diseases that affect the entire body; organs, limbic systems, nerve networks, etc) will result in some sort of a problem in the gum and tooth department that will appear prior to the full onset of the underlying disease. The following diseases can show up in the mouth and gums before they show up anywhere else.

  • Oral Cancer
  • Leukemia
  • Heart disease
  • Kidney disease
  • Diabetes
  • Pancreatic cancer

So yes, it is incredibly important to visit your dentist regularly, as well as your physician. It is also incredibly important to take care of your teeth and gums along with your regular dentist visits.

A healthy mouth equates to a healthy body and a happy you. It’s easy to maintain.

Once you have established a regular visiting schedule with your dentist, maintaining the great oral health that is so vital to your overall health is incredibly important. And it couldn’t be easier. There are five main points to maintaining good oral health, and they aren’t expensive or time consuming.

  • Schedule regular dental check-ups with a trusted dentist.
  • Brush for two or three minutes a minimum of 2x a day, 3x is better. Try to brush within fifteen to twenty minutes after having a meal.
  • Cigarettes and chewing tobacco will strip the enamel off of the teeth, and can wreak havoc with the gums. Just quit all forms of tobacco. Really.
  • Floss at least once a day for removal of plaque. Un-waxed floss is the better floss to use.
  • Healthy diets rich in vitamins A, C, and calcium are as good for your teeth and gums as they are for your overall body health.

Please contact our Staten Island Dental Office with any inquires and to make an appointment  at  https://drmarianadds.com/contact-us/ and by phone (718) 494-2200.